oklahoma monthly climate summary october 2020

Copyright © 2020 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. Oklahoma Monthly Climate Summary 1

OCTOBER 2020Oklahoma Monthly Climate Summary

October 2020 Statewide Extremes

Description Extreme Station Day

High Temperature 102°F Grandfield, Hollis 11

Low Temperature 14°F Boise City, Kenton 26

High Precipitation 6.90 in. Cookson --

Low Precipitation 0.57 in. Kenton --

October 2020 Statewide StatisticsTemperature

Average Depart. Rank (1895-2020)

Month (October) 57.8°F -3.1°F 13th Coolest

Season-to-Date (Sept-Oct) 63.9°F -2.6°F 7th Coolest

Year-to-Date (Jan-Oct) 63.4°F 0.4°F 47th Warmest

Precipitation

Total Depart. Rank (1895-2020)

Month (October) 3.34 in. -0.20 in. 45th Wettest

Season-to-Date (Sept-Oct) 7.66 in. 0.59 in. 37th Wettest

Year-to-Date (Jan-Oct) 35.75 in. 3.82 in. 21st Wettest

Depart. = departure from 30-year normal

A historic winter ice storm struck the state during the last week of October, leaving nearly 400,000 residences and businesses without power. The extreme nature of the event – arguably the most impactful early-season winter storm in the history of Oklahoma – was punctuated by heavy snow in the Panhandle and flooding rains in eastern sections of the state. Trees, still burdened with a full head of leaves so early in the season, were easy prey for radial ice accumulations of up to 3 inches across western and central Oklahoma. Downed branches felled power lines, clogged streets and snarled traffic. The power lines themselves sagged and fell under the weight of the frozen accumulation. Many school districts in the ice storm’s footprint closed for the remainder of the week due to continued challenges with debris and lack of power. Areas to the west received more sleet and snow than freezing rain, and areas to the east were inundated with cold, flooding rains. Snow and sleet totals across far western

Oklahoma were generally between 2-4 inches, although as much as 9 inches was reported in localized areas. The frigid weather that came with the storm was as historic as the ice. Record low minimum and maximum temperatures were shattered across western Oklahoma October 26-27. Highs in the Panhandle on the 26th only rose into the low to mid-20s, breaking their previous record low maximum temperature by 15-20 degrees. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security reported 132 injuries as a result of the storm, with 58 of those from falls and another 28 due to motor vehicle accidents.

The late winter storm provided the first significant moisture since early September for much of western Oklahoma. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average total for the month ended at 3.37 inches, 0.17 inches above normal, to rank as the 45th wettest October since records began in 1895. Individual amounts

from Mesonet sites ranged from 6.9 inches in Cookson to 0.57 inches in Kenton. Despite the deluge, parts of southern Oklahoma were still 2-3 inches below normal for the month. The late burst of moisture helped propel the January-October statewide average to 35.75 inches, 3.82 inches above normal, to rank as the 21st wettest January-October on record. That surplus was mostly built on gaudy totals 10-20 inches above normal across the southeastern half of the state, however. The western Panhandle and parts of west central Oklahoma had deficits of 7-10 inches over the first 10 months of the year.

The month began on the cool side and finished on the frigid side, resulting in a statewide average temperature of 57.8 degrees, 3.1 degrees below normal, to rank as the 13th coolest October on record. The state’s first freeze of the season came at Eva and Hooker on the 12th – just a few days

earlier than average – when each bottomed out at 32 degrees. On the other side of the thermometer, 2020’s presumable final triple-digit readings came on the 14th when Altus, Hollis and Mangum each reached 100 degrees. Grandfield and Hollis each recorded 102 degrees on the 11th for the month’s highest reading. Boise City and Kenton reported the lowest temperature of the month at 14 degrees on the 26th. The


statewide average year-to-date temperature of 63.4 degrees was 0.4 degrees above normal to rank as the 47th warmest January-October on record.

Drought surged during October before abating somewhat due to the late-month moisture. Drought coverage reached a high of 38% of the state on October 20 according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, up from 18% at the end of September. The month’s final map on October 27 reflected improvements with drought coverage down to 32% of the state. The outlook for further drought improvement is slim through November for much of the remaining drought area, according to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). CPC’s November outlooks indicate increased odds of above normal temperature and below normal precipitation for Oklahoma. Their November drought outlook does see some drought improvement across the northwest, but that is for moisture from late October not yet accounted for in the latest Drought Monitor map. The remaining area of drought is expected to persist through November.


OCTOBER 2020 OBSERVED PRECIPITATION

OCTOBER 2020 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL PRECIPITATION


OCTOBER 2020 PERCENT OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION


OCTOBER 2020 AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

OCTOBER 2020 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL TEMPERATURE


MESONET MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 2020

MEAN HIGH LOW TOT HIGH MEAN HIGH LOW TOT HIGHNAME TEMP TEMP DAY TEMP DAY HDD CDD PPT 24-HR DAY NAME TEMP TEMP DAY TEMP DAY HDD CDD PPT 24-HR DAY

PANHANDLE Arnett 56.3 98 11 20 27 332 62 4.05 2.14 29 Goodwell 54.2 97 14 17 27 374 41 1.49 .73 29Beaver 55.5 97 7 18 27 352 59 2.68 2.31 28 Hooker 54.2 95 7 17 27 375 40 1.92 1.48 28Boise City 53.6 92 7 14 26 382 28 .62 .59 28 Kenton 54.0 92 14 14 26 372 31 .57 .52 28Buffalo 55.9 98 11 20 24 343 62 3.57 2.77 28 Slapout 56.4 96 7 19 27 337 70 ***** ***** ***Eva 53.1 96 14 16 26 402 33 .64 .52 28

NORTH CENTRAL Alva 55.9 97 14 23 26 **** **** 3.81 2.19 28 May Ranch 55.6 94 7 22 26 348 57 4.31 3.44 28Blackwell 56.5 93 14 28 26 318 53 4.43 2.60 28 Medford 56.6 93 14 26 26 313 53 3.50 2.00 28Breckinridge 57.1 92 11 27 27 306 60 3.54 1.94 28 Newkirk 55.9 91 14 27 27 326 42 4.82 2.59 28Cherokee 56.5 93 14 24 26 316 53 3.33 1.88 28 Red Rock 57.3 93 14 28 27 298 59 4.72 2.50 28Fairview 57.2 95 14 25 26 302 59 2.75 1.46 28 Seiling 56.7 96 11 23 27 332 74 2.84 1.40 28Freedom 56.5 98 11 23 26 328 65 4.40 2.74 28 Woodward 57.2 99 11 21 27 326 83 4.50 2.26 28Lahoma 57.0 93 11 26 26 306 56 2.19 1.51 28

NORTHEAST Bixby 57.6 88 11 31 30 278 49 5.02 2.42 26 Pawnee 57.8 91 14 28 27 290 66 4.65 1.70 28Burbank 55.8 91 14 28 27 327 42 4.15 1.72 28 Porter 58.1 88 11 31 30 264 49 3.14 1.76 26Copan 56.6 88 14 29 27 316 54 4.41 1.31 28 Pryor 56.4 87 11 30 30 306 41 4.67 2.10 26Foraker 55.9 90 14 27 27 328 45 4.77 2.07 28 Skiatook 58.3 88 7 30 27 280 71 5.06 1.64 26Inola 56.9 86 11 29 30 294 43 3.99 1.99 26 Talala 57.0 88 11 31 27 303 54 4.78 1.65 26Jay 56.8 88 11 30 30 304 51 5.94 2.24 26 Tulsa 58.7 87 7 32 27 261 66 6.44 2.48 26Miami 56.1 89 11 29 30 322 46 6.40 1.94 26 Vinita 55.6 89 11 28 30 332 41 5.75 1.49 26Nowata 56.0 88 11 27 30 325 46 4.53 1.39 27 Wynona 57.1 90 14 29 27 299 54 5.29 2.22 28

WEST CENTRAL Bessie 57.6 97 14 24 27 295 66 2.10 1.17 29 Erick 56.9 100 11 23 27 313 63 1.56 1.13 28Butler 57.2 98 11 24 27 309 66 2.02 1.08 28 Putnam 56.6 95 14 23 27 329 67 2.34 1.26 29Camargo 55.9 99 11 23 27 338 55 3.05 1.58 28 Watonga 57.2 93 11 24 27 313 70 3.01 1.71 29Cheyenne 57.6 98 11 22 27 307 76 1.85 1.07 28 Weatherford 57.4 93 14 24 27 304 69 2.39 1.19 29Elk City 57.7 98 11 23 27 292 67 1.69 .80 28

CENTRAL Acme 59.1 94 11 28 27 263 80 3.31 2.17 26 Norman 59.2 91 11 29 27 253 72 5.00 2.05 28Bristow ***** *** *** *** *** **** **** ***** ***** *** Oilton 56.5 89 11 29 30 **** **** 5.50 2.00 26Lake Carl Blac 56.8 92 14 27 30 307 52 4.92 2.17 28 Oklahoma City 58.9 91 11 28 27 261 71 3.94 1.57 26Chandler 58.8 89 11 29 27 257 65 4.65 2.13 26 Okemah 57.7 87 11 30 30 275 50 3.61 2.07 26Chickasha 58.3 96 11 29 27 271 64 3.93 1.67 26 Perkins 58.6 92 11 29 27 268 71 4.83 1.82 28El Reno 56.6 92 11 26 27 313 53 3.10 1.17 29 Seminole 58.8 89 11 31 30 254 60 3.64 2.07 26Guthrie 58.9 92 11 28 27 264 76 4.13 1.64 28 Shawnee 58.7 88 11 29 27 257 63 4.20 2.32 26Kingfisher 57.9 95 11 27 27 284 62 2.33 .70 28 Spencer 59.2 90 11 28 27 257 78 4.49 1.73 26Marena 57.8 91 11 28 27 283 59 4.70 1.72 28 Stillwater 57.9 92 14 29 27 281 62 4.80 1.77 28Minco 58.0 92 11 26 27 277 61 3.27 1.10 28 Washington 59.1 93 11 29 27 243 62 5.86 2.89 26Marshall 57.9 92 11 28 27 285 65 3.29 1.85 28 Yukon 58.1 92 11 27 27 282 68 ***** ***** ***

EAST CENTRAL Cookson 57.4 84 11 30 30 277 42 6.90 3.33 26 Sallisaw 59.3 87 11 31 30 229 52 5.55 2.34 26Eufaula 58.9 86 11 33 30 240 51 4.84 2.93 26 Stigler 58.4 87 11 32 30 247 42 5.05 2.60 26Haskell 57.2 87 11 31 30 282 41 2.81 1.48 26 Stuart 59.2 88 11 32 30 236 56 2.64 1.54 26Hectorville 58.7 88 7 31 27 260 65 4.61 2.14 26 Tahlequah 57.1 85 11 29 30 284 40 4.51 1.57 26Holdenville 58.9 87 11 32 27 248 60 3.55 1.63 26 Webbers Falls 59.0 89 11 32 30 230 44 5.22 3.18 26McAlester 59.0 87 11 30 30 240 55 3.83 1.53 26 Westville 57.1 84 11 30 30 286 41 5.26 1.90 26Okmulgee 56.9 88 11 29 30 292 39 2.86 1.52 26

SOUTHWEST Altus 59.7 101 11 26 27 243 78 2.40 .55 27 Hollis 59.2 102 11 25 27 257 78 .82 .55 28Apache 58.4 92 11 26 27 271 65 4.18 1.75 26 Mangum ***** *** *** *** *** **** **** 1.82 .77 28Fort Cobb 58.0 94 14 27 27 277 62 2.21 1.23 29 Medicine Park 25.4 93 14 *** 21 240 72 2.65 1.14 26Grandfield 61.3 102 11 29 27 213 98 4.81 1.78 23 Tipton 60.1 100 11 27 27 236 86 3.29 1.01 26Hinton 57.1 93 11 24 27 308 62 3.20 1.68 29 Walters 60.5 98 11 29 27 225 86 3.72 1.59 26Hobart 58.1 95 14 25 27 278 64 2.93 1.37 29

SOUTH CENTRAL Ada 59.0 89 11 30 30 251 63 2.63 1.03 26 Lane 59.9 89 11 31 30 216 56 1.24 .49 26Ardmore 60.7 92 11 33 30 205 71 2.04 1.05 26 Madill 60.8 92 11 31 30 208 77 1.58 .51 26Burneyville 60.9 95 11 30 30 215 87 1.94 .77 26 Newport 60.8 92 11 32 27 204 73 1.54 .68 26Byars 60.0 90 11 30 27 230 74 2.58 1.28 26 Pauls Valley 59.9 92 11 31 27 230 73 2.43 1.00 26Centrahoma 59.5 89 11 30 30 229 57 2.48 .98 26 Ringling 61.1 95 11 30 30 210 89 1.36 .52 28Durant 61.1 90 11 33 30 192 71 1.99 .88 28 Sulphur 59.5 91 11 29 30 240 69 1.55 .61 26Fittstown 58.6 88 11 31 27 248 49 3.09 1.82 26 Tishomingo 59.2 90 11 31 30 231 52 1.54 .49 26Ketchum Ranch 60.4 94 11 30 27 225 84 2.84 1.11 28 Waurika 61.1 97 11 30 30 215 93 2.45 .75 27

SOUTHEAST Antlers 59.4 88 11 31 30 223 49 1.44 .60 28 Mt Herman 59.9 84 11 33 30 209 51 3.08 2.10 28Broken Bow 61.0 86 10 34 30 182 59 2.80 2.01 28 Talihina 59.7 88 11 31 30 220 57 3.83 2.57 28Clayton 59.6 87 11 32 30 222 53 2.95 1.67 28 Valliant 61.0 89 11 32 30 185 62 4.01 2.39 28Cloudy 60.0 86 11 32 30 207 50 3.25 2.38 28 Wilburton 59.1 88 11 31 30 239 55 2.80 1.23 28Hugo 60.9 88 11 35 30 188 61 2.97 2.18 28 Wister 58.5 87 11 32 31 236 36 4.35 3.03 28Idabel ***** *** *** *** *** **** **** 2.46 1.74 28


2020 STATEWIDE PRECIPITATION MONTHLY TOTALS VS. NORMAL

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October 2020 Mesonet Precipitation Comparison

Climate DivisionPrecipitation

(inches)Departure from Normal (inches) Rank since 1895

Wettest on Record (Year)

Driest on Record (Year)

Oct-19 (inches)

Panhandle 1.94 0.24 33rd Wettest 6.84 (1923) 0.03 (2001) 2.05

North Central 3.78 0.87 23rd Wettest 8.97 (1998) 0.00 (1952) 3.59

Northeast 4.94 1.16 29th Wettest 14.98 (1941) 0.05 (1952) 6.53

West Central 2.22 -0.54 53rd Wettest 9.57 (1923) 0.00 (1952) 1.77

Central 4.18 0.43 31st Wettest 13.34 (1941) 0.03 (1952) 4.31

East Central 4.43 -0.01 48th Wettest 14.00 (1941) 0.15 (1963) 9.34

Southwest 2.91 -0.24 43rd Wettest 11.03 (1983) 0.00 (1952) 1.19

South Central 2.08 -2.29 42nd Driest 14.83 (1981) 0.09 (1921) 5.64

Southeast 3.09 -1.87 54th Driest 12.89 (1984) 0.20 (1924) 8.14

Statewide 3.34 -0.20 45th Wettest 10.75 (1941) 0.14 (1952) 4.74

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2020 Statewide Precipitation: Monthly Totals vs. Normal

2020 Precipitation

1981-2010 Normal


October 2020 Mesonet Temperature Comparison

Climate DivisionAverage Temp (F)

Departure from Normal (F) Rank since 1895

Hottest on Record (Year)

Coldest on Record (Year) Oct-19 (F)

Panhandle 54.8 -2.6 18th Coolest 65.9 (1963) 50.1 (1925) 51.5

North Central 56.3 -3.4 13th Coolest 68.9 (1963) 51.6 (1925) 55.6

Northeast 56.9 -3.3 11th Coolest 70.2 (1963) 53.9 (1925) 56.9

West Central 57.1 -3.2 15th Coolest 68.5 (1963) 52.1 (1925) 55.6

Central 58.1 -3.3 13th Coolest 70.2 (1963) 55.0 (2009) 57.6

East Central 58.3 -3.4 10th Coolest 70.9 (1963) 55.5 (1976) 58.9

Southwest 59.0 -3.5 13th Coolest 70.2 (1963) 55.4 (1925) 58.7

South Central 60.2 -3.1 13th Coolest 71.0 (1963) 56.8 (1976) 61.1

Southeast 59.9 -2.1 21st Coolest 69.8 (1963) 55.3 (1976) 61.2

Statewide 57.8 -3.1 13th Coolest 69.5 (1963) 54.6 (1925) 57.4

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2020 STATEWIDE TEMPERATURE MONTHLY TOTALS VS. NORMAL

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2020 Statewide Temperature: Monthly Totals vs. Normal

2020 Temperature

1981-2010 Normal


MESONET EXTREMES FOR OCTOBER 2020

Climate Division

High Temp

(F) Day Station

Low Temp

(F) Day Station

High Monthly Rainfall (inches) Station

High Daily

Rainfall (inches) Day Station

Panhandle 98 11th Arnett 14 26th Boise City 4.05 Arnett 2.77 28th Buffalo

North Central 99 11th Woodward 21 27th Woodward 4.82 Newkirk 3.44 28th May Ranch

Northeast 91 14th Burbank 27 30th Nowata 6.44 Tulsa 2.48 26th Tulsa

West Central 100 11th Erick 22 27th Cheyenne 3.05 Camargo 1.71 29th Watonga

Central 96 11th Chickasha 26 27th El Reno 5.86 Washington 2.89 26th Washington

East Central 89 11th Webbers Falls 29 30th Okmulgee 6.90 Cookson 3.33 26th Cookson

Southwest 102 11th Grandfield 24 27th Hinton 4.81 Grandfield 1.78 23rd Grandfield

South Central 97 11th Waurika 29 30th Sulphur 3.09 Fittstown 1.82 26th Fittstown

Southeast 89 11th Valliant 31 30th Wilburton 4.35 Wister 3.03 28th Wister

Statewide 102 11th Grandfield 14 26th Boise City 6.90 Cookson 3.44 28th May Ranch

Oklahoma Climate Divisions


Oklahoma Climatological Survey is the State Climate Office for Oklahoma

Dr. Kevin Kloesel DirectorDr. Chris Fiebrich Associate Director

EDITOR Gary D. McManus State Climatologist

CONTENT AND LAYOUT ASSISTANTAndrea Dawn Melvin Outreach Coordinator

For more information, contact:Oklahoma Climatological SurveyThe University of Oklahoma120 David L. Boren Blvd., Suite 2900Norman, OK 73072-7305

TEL: 405-325-2541FAX: 405-325-7282E-MAIL: [email protected]: http://climate.ok.gov

OklahomaClimatological Survey

INTERPRETATION INFORMATIONMEAN DAILY TEMPERATURE: Calculated from an average of the daily maximum and minimum temperatures. Daily averages are summed for each day, and then divided by the number of valid data points – typically the number of days in the month. Although this November differ from the “true” daily average, it is consistent with historical methods of observation and comparable to the normals and extremes for stations and regions of the state.

DEGREE DAYS: Degree Days are calculated each day of the month for which there is a temperature report and the mean temperature for the day is less than (Heating Degree Days) or greater than (Cooling Degree Days) 65 degrees. Daily values are summed to arrive at a monthly total. HDD/CDD are qualitative measures of how much heating/cooling was required to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Missing observations November result in an artificially high or low value.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESSUNRISE / SUNSET TABLESU.S. Naval Observatory: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data

SEVERE STORM REPORTSStorm Prediction Center: http://spc.noaa.gov/climo/

National Centers for Environmental Information:https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/

SEASONAL OUTLOOKSClimate Prediction Center: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/OUTLOOKS_index.shtml

CLIMATE CALENDARS AND OTHER LOCAL WEATHER AND CLIMATE INFORMATIONOklahoma Climatological Survey:http://climate.mesonet.org or http://climate.ok.gov/

oklahoma monthly climate summary october 2020

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